


All Work and No Play

by SkilledWarriorKiwi



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Character Study, Dark Comedy, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mainly the Survivors chatting about how sucky their lives are, One Shot, Purgatory, Serial Killers, Supernatural Elements, The Survivors joke about getting butchered in death matches to cope basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 16:03:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12324279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkilledWarriorKiwi/pseuds/SkilledWarriorKiwi
Summary: They had a 'campsite' in whatever world it was they were trapped in. A place where they were kept between matches, a place where they could speak and for just a few hours feel as if they were doing something as mundane as camping. They could talk about tactics, about dying, or even talk of how they got there or even something as boring as talking about favourite television shows. But the Entity's appearance would always break the fragile sense of normalcy, plucking up four of them at random and hurling them into a bloodied match against an undying Killer who'd hunt them down and attempt to butcher them all.Whenever a new 'Survivor', as they were dubbed, joined the group it would also take a few days for the ruckus to die down. Some took to the news of being trapped for eternity by a sadist, malevolent force quite well like the old soldier Bill while others like Dwight took a little longer.





	All Work and No Play

* * *

They had a 'campsite' in whatever world it was they were trapped in. A place where they were kept between matches, a place where they could speak and for just a few hours feel as if they were doing something as mundane as camping. They could talk about tactics, about dying, or even talk of how they got there or even something as boring as talking about favourite television shows. But the Entity's appearance would always break the fragile sense of normalcy, plucking up four of them at random and hurling them into a bloodied match against an undying Killer who'd hunt them down and attempt to butcher them all.

Whenever a new 'Survivor', as they were dubbed, joined the group it would also take a few days for the ruckus to die down. Some took to the news of being trapped for eternity by a sadist, malevolent force quite well like the old soldier Bill while others like Dwight took a little longer. 

Feng adapted quickly, at first skeptical of the others when she wandered into their campsite for the first time but her first match against a Killer quickly erased her doubt. Getting her back hacked open with a chainsaw and hurled onto a hook by a creature with half its face melted onto its shoulder quickly destroyed her sense of normalcy. However Feng had played every kind of video game she could have gotten her hands on while back as the _Shining Lion_ and because of that she tried to distance herself from the blood sport, approach the sadist toying of the Entity as she would a new game- she quickly adapted to tactics, she observed her fellow Survivors and learned from them, she learned the locations they'd be thrown in much like how she'd dissect a new game. She adapted and began to survive.

But not always. 

Pain was always horrific; as a gamer she never actually got physically punished for loosing and dying in one of the Entity's games was horrible. It became almost like a joke, an attempt to cope with the nightmare they were trapped in.

For the campsite she thought it was a 'hub' in a video game. A safe spot where they could mingle before a 'game' would begin and the Entity would choose its players. They would have a minute, almost, of warning like a prep time where they could seize any items they'd saved from a last fight and take it with them. Feng was certain that was part of the Entity's sadistic game- it enjoyed giving them hope and siccing them against Killers, watching as they either escaped or died trying while having basically no weapons at their disposal. A complaint which often came up in conversation.

"I think I hate the Nurse the most," Dwight was saying.

It was one of the few times they were all together at the campsite. It wasn't much, a few tents, large fire and naked logs for seats with random camping equipment strewn about. Feng was sitting on a log between Dwight and Nea, rubbing at her aching fingers. She had just come from a match where she'd died on the hook, spending a fruitless minute clawing at the long spikes of the Entity and tore her fingers bloody before being impaled through the stomach. The pain she knew was phantom pain- the Entity would always heal them when it deposited back at the camp site.

Nea shrugged, "I don't mind her. 'least when she kills you it's all bloodless, you know?"

Feng agreed- that was another thing she hated about the Killers. Sometimes they wouldn't even wait to hurl them up on a hook for the Entity to butch them; they'd pounce as soon as they'd knocked someone down and brutalize them until they died. Feng hated that, the unpredictability. Yet another thing to terrify them with. 

Across from them Ace made a noise of agreement, "Yeah, I'd say those ones with the chainsaws are the worst. That noise mostly, not to mention when I die I always want to make sure my looks aren't messed up."

"Well then you missed that by like two decades," Nea snorted, a smirk curling her lips. Ace playfully flipped her off.

"What I think is annoying is how there's two of them with chainsaws," Dwight said, ignoring the teasing, "That's excessive, isn't it?"

"One of them can run with a chainsaw, one doesn't," Feng told him, "It's the one with glowing eyes that can run."

"That newer one is kinda daft though, isn't he?" Nea said, "I saw him hit a tree once with his 'saw and he threw a fit. I mean I'm not really complaining 'cause I was able to haul ass out of there but I dunno what the fuck he was up to."

"They're all supernatural killers, I think it's safe to say they're all kinda strange," Dwight said.

"You shouldn't count out that," Meg sudden spoke up from where she was rebraiding her hair, "It may seem like useless stuff, but sometimes it can pay off. Like remember when you guys told me about that invisible one and how you can snag him with a torch if he's cloaked and it stuns him for way longer? That saved me when I was in that cornfield place."

"I'm lousy with flashlights, does anyone want mine? I'll trade it for a tool box, if anyone has one."

Nea immediately perked up, "How much battery you have? I'm shit with toolboxes so I'm game."

Dwight checked over the flashlight he had hooked to his belt, "Um, it's around one half? I kinda tried using it last match I was in but I sucked with it."

Feng leaned back as the two haggled, giving them a more clear line of sight with each other. After some thinking Nea shrugged and passed over a battered tool box and in return Dwight passed over his torch.

"Lucky for you I got some spare batteries," Nea grumbled, but nonetheless looked pleased as she inspected the flashlight.

It was common, the trading between survivors. It's one of the reasons why looting was always encouraged in matches as bringing back items to the base camp meant they could be traded- Feng in particular had quite a few med packs hoarded of various states. If a new Survivor showed, she'd always offer them a med pack. It's one thing she learned early on, that she'd rather have a med pack and not need it than need one and not have it. Usually they'd try to balance their team but sometimes resources were used; she remembered one fairly horrible match where they were all stuck with tool boxes and ran around yanking off hooks. That also turned out to be a match where they had the Shape as a killer, who spent the majority of the match stalking them and, when they had the gate open and that brief sliver of hope, killed them all with his own hands.

She hated the Shape.

But that was was another thing they would do while at the camp, share tricks and trades they knew- Nea showed them how to land from long distances more nimbly and quickly, Feng could show others how to pick up on a Killer bashing down a barricade, Claudette showed them all how to heal themselves, Bill taught them how to bare the butchering and hauled up their bodies through agonizing pain to yank themselves from a dying state through sheer will.

They all had different skills they brought to the table and if one was wily, then they would use them all to their advantage.

Nea nudged her shoulder, knocked Feng from her musing and she gave the punk a somewhat shaky smile. Feng was always grateful for the sheer variety of other Survivors, along with a selfish part of her being so glad she wasn't in the nightmare alone. She wouldn't be able to cope otherwise, she was fairly sure.

"What were we talking about?" she finally said after an awkward beat of silence.

Nea cracked up laughing, "Oh you know, dying. Like not the hook shit, but when those bastards down you and then fuck you up. Dwight here was complaining about the Nurse but I'll take that throttling shit over a chainsaw in the back any day."

"It's not just that!" Dwight protested, "She's just...so creepy! With that bag over her head and I've seen her strangle Ace to death and she like, she caressed his face afterwards! It's creepy!"

Ace just looked amused, "That clearly means even the undead ladies like me."

"Hey I dare you to try that shit next time you get a match with her," Nea challenged, "Would be hilarious watching her hack your ass to death from your shit pickup lines. I'll probably start rooting for her."

Feng choked down a laugh at the mental image, catching the eye of Meg sitting across from her and grinning. The redhead was tying off her braid but nonetheless grinned back.

"Well, how about that Hag?" Jake suddenly said from where he was sitting crosslegged a few feet from the fire pit, "Those traps are a pain. Never know if she's actually going to pop up."

"Oh shit, I nearly forgot- you'd figure having some mad woman maul you to death like a coyote and then eat your liver would kinda stick in your head," Nea said.

Feng snorted, opening a med pack on her lap and taking note of everything inside. She'd kill for a anti-hemorrhagic syringe but she'd used her last one on Claudette during the last match, as a thanks when the other girl saved her from being trapped in the basement. She hated it down there and had used it on an injured Claudette before both women went sprinting to the open door with Meg and Dwight screaming encouragements at the boundary while the Huntress hurled hatchets at them.

Bill, as usual, didn't join in on their joking. On a very rare occasion would the old veteran throw in a joke or opinion but on the whole he was content to observe them while taking drags on their cigarettes. Usually Feng would scold smokers, but in a hellish Purgatory she couldn't be bothered. Bill was also the one who'd shown her the ropes in her first match, quietly pointing out the generators and how to sneak around and how to _listen_ to pick up which Killer they were facing. He also informed her which Survivor would be best to show her how to do what and she'd taken those words to heart.

Nea even once jokingly called him 'granddad' during a match which nearly resulted in a fist fight and ended when the Wraith materialized in the room and bashed Nea in the side of the head and caught Feng in the shoulder before they'd scattered like rats and minimal screaming. 

"I think I hate the Shape the most," Feng finally said after some thought.

"Really?" Nea leaned forward slightly, playfully knocking elbows with her, "I mean, he's kinda bland compared with some of the others. Remember when we had that match with the Doctor? I spent half of it completely off my head and screaming. His face also freaked me the fuck out and how he giggles like some school girl when he zaps your ass."

"There's also the Trapper. I remember jumping down the window at that Haddenfield place and landed right in a trap," Meg pitched in, "I think that's one of the worst things- being trapped, you know? Running its one of the few advantages we have, but if you're in a trap you're just a sitting duck. It's horrible."

"Well I guess so, but when you see the Trapper and the Doctor and all those other ones, they....They're obviously monsters, you know? They _look_ like monsters, looking rotten or mutilated or...or something, but the Shape is so normal? He could just be a tall man in a mask. Even that Leatherface guy, his mask is...it's _made_ from faces and his behaviour is all whacked. But the Shape doesn't look deformed or anything. And he just stalks you, at first. Just walks along slowly after you and watches." Feng said.

Dwight open his mouth and then paused, brow furrowing before he nodded, saying slowly, "I guess you have a point. Sometimes I don't even notice him until _Bam!_ A knife in the back and then a messed up generator. He doesn't even turn invisible or anything. He's just...so quiet."

"Yeah, you kinda suck at generators," Nea said, "That's why you go through so many toolboxes."

"Hey, they speed things up!"

Claudette giggled to herself, watching the squabbling between Nea and Dwight. Feng just rolled her eyes, long used to it. It was a nice little doubt of normalcy, that lessened the tauntness of her shoulders. She glanced around the group, noting how everyone was more of less gathered around the fire except Laurie; she was even further away than Bill, sitting on a log stump with her ankles crossed and hands clasped on her knees. Her pale blond hair gleamed gold in the fire light and her expression was neutral almost.

"What about you, Laurie?" Feng suddenly said, wanting to pull the girl into their conversation. She'd always been reserved every since she joined them, despite all of Feng's attempts to pull her into the group. Laurie was fearsome in a game and she even taught them how to use loose bits of metal and the exact place to drive it into a Killer's throat to break free of their grip.

Laurie was silent for a long moment, staring aimlessly at the flames before she finally, quietly, spoke, "He's my older brother."

Feng blinked, feeling like she'd lost the conversation, "You have an older brother? I'm an only child but-"

"No, I meant Michael," Laurie looked over at them, her eyes gleaming like a cats in the fire light, "I guess everyone just calls him the Shape."

"Wait, he's called _Michael?_ " David burst out laughing, "Seriously? What a sissy name."

"Oh go mock him next match, I'm sure he'd love it," Meg snapped. She looked back at Laurie, expression smoothing, "Laurie, are you alright?"

Laurie snorted, "I don't think any of us are alright."

"No, I just...None of us...None of us know the Killers. I didn't even know they were...I don't know, human. Or used to be? Much less a part of our family."

"It doesn't matter," Laurie said shortly, "He tried to kill me even before I knew. I don't really care."

Bill paused before sucking a long drag on his cigarette. When he exhaled a plume of smoke he said, "Sounds pretty shit."

She just made a noise of agreement, before going back to staring aimlessly at the fire. Feng didn't know what to say and judging from the expressions on everyone elses faces they didn't know what to say as well. Bill didn't seem to overly care however, and the old vet probably wasn't one to judge. Feng wasn't either- she'd been saved enough times by Laurie to trust in her completely, but it did put the viciousness between the two in a greater perspective. Feng had been in several matches with Laurie while the Shape had been the one hunting them. They'd escaped sometimes, but there had been matches where the Shape would leave Laurie for last which with the new revelation from Laurie made it seem insidiously intentional she'd been saved for last. Laurie would also, always without fail, stab the Shape when he tried to subdue her. Sometimes she wouldn't with other Killers, but for the Shape, her _brother_ she'd always attack him. It gave a depth of grudge between them and Feng suddenly never wanted to know what the Shape had done to make Laurie, who was one of the sweetest people Feng had met, hate him so.

"Man, must have been one fucking nasty family argument," Nea finally joked after a long and painfully awkward silence.

Feng let out a startled laugh, quickly covering her mouth in case she gave offense but when she glanced over at Laurie the other girl's lips were quirked in a faint smile. She seemed to appreciate the joke and she relaxed slightly, as if taking Nea's attempt as humour as an olive branch after the revelation of kin. 

Quickly Feng added, "Well, I have a spare med pack if you want to take in a next match- I've been meaning to pay you back after you saved me from the basement last time. The Hag was crafty."

Laurie nodded, flashing Feng a grateful look, "Sure."

Feng was able to add something else but the night sky above suddenly darkened and a tell-tale reek of burning flesh made the motley group look up to see the looming tendrils of the Entity. It was in that same moment Feng felt spikes grip her body, the otherworldly pull of the Entity seizing her soul in an unbreakable grip. She'd been chosen for the next match.

"Time to buckle up, kids," Bill said gruffly, snatching up a purple-tinted flashlight from the ground next to him and with his other hand took a long drag from his ever-present cigarette. Like her own, Bill's body was being gripped by the Entity.

Feng nodded grimly, feeling the Entity as its powers encircled her further and her grip tightened on the med kit. Meg and David were likewise encased in the insidious webbing and Feng sucked in a deep breath as her mind shifted from the terror-tinted humour and comradery of the camp fire to the cold, calculating gamer who'd survived and died countless times in a death match by a sadistic otherwordly being that used their souls and lives as entertainment.

_Time for another game._

* * *


End file.
